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''PrankvsPrank'', also known as ''PvP'', is a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
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created by Jesse Michael Wellens and his then-girlfriend Jennifer "Jeana" Smith. In 2007, the two began to play
pranks A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
on each other and post
videos Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
of the pranks on websites, eventually forming a channel on YouTube. The channel has more than 1.8 billion video views and more than 10.2 million subscribers as of February 2017. After Wellens and Smith split in May 2016, Wellens became the sole user of the channel.


History

Wellens had filmed Smith attempting the
cinnamon challenge The cinnamon challenge is a viral internet food challenge. Participants film themselves eating a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking anything, with the video being uploaded to the Internet as evidence. The challenge ...
and posted a video on the Internet, starting the serial pranking of each other. The videos show how they prepare the pranks for each other and record their reaction afterwards. In 2012, Wellens and Smith appeared as Spartan King
Leonidas I Leonidas I (; grc-gre, Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles. Leonidas I was son of King ...
and
Queen Gorgo Gorgo (; el, Γοργώ ; fl. 480 BC) was a Spartan woman and wife to King Leonidas I (r. 489–480 BC). She was the daughter and the only known child of Cleomenes I, Leonidas' half-brother and King of Sparta (r. 520–490 BC). Gorgo was also the ...
in the web series ''
Epic Rap Battles of History ''Epic Rap Battles of History'' (ERB) is a YouTube web series and music project created by Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "EpicLLOYD" Ahlquist. The series pits historical and pop culture figures against one another in a rap battle format. ...
'', in season two, episode 2 "Master Chief vs. Leonidas". On April 1, 2013,
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
rated ''PrankvsPrank'' YouTube's best pranksters. On September 25, 2013, Wellens (as "Chip Chocolate") released a
rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
song on iTunes called "Cookie Dance". Produced by Les Professionnels, the song peaked at #68 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and was number one in Sweden for a couple of weeks. On September 17, 2015, PrankvsPrank won the
Streamy Award The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...
for the Best Prank Show. In 2016, Wellens and Smith hosted a
YouTube Red YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals programming p ...
original series titled '' Prank Academy'', where they taught celebrities how to pull off pranks and graded the individual outcomes. The series premiered on March 30, 2016, and concluded on July 20, 2016. While the full-length episodes were only available to YouTube Red subscribers, Wellens and Smith provided condensed versions featuring the highlights of the pranks free of charge to the public. On April 11, 2016, PrankvsPrank won the
Shorty Award The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...
for the Best YouTube Ensemble. After Wellens and Smith split in May 2016, Wellens continued posting on ''PrankvsPrank'' as a solo effort, while Smith posted on ''BFvsGF''.


BFvsGF

Smith and Wellens also have a channel on YouTube called ''BFvsGF''. On ''BFvsGF'', they posted videos about their lives on a daily basis from 2012 until May 19, 2016. The videos often show them walking around
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, visiting
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, or traveling with
Contiki Tours Contiki is a New Zealand tour company that caters to 18- to 35-year-olds. It operates tours in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. It is a subsidiary of The Travel Corporation. Its tours h ...
. The videos also have frequent guest appearances by other YouTubers, including
Louis Cole Louis Cole can refer to: * Louis Cole (musician), American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, part of Knower * Louis Cole (YouTuber) Louis John Cole (born 28 April 1983), better known by his original online alias FoodForLouis, then l ...
,
Roman Atwood Roman Bernard Atwood (born May 28, 1983) is an American YouTube personality and prankster. He is best known for his vlogs, where he posts updates about his life. His vlogging channel, "RomanAtwoodVlogs", has a total of 5 billion views and 15 ...
, Alli Speed,
Andy Milonakis Andrew Michael Milonakis (; born January 30, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, rapper, and streamer. He is best known for his work on ''The Andy Milonakis Show'', a sketch comedy series that aired on MTV and MTV2 from 2005 to 2007. Other no ...
and
Charles Trippy Charles Paul Trippy III (born September 2, 1984) is an American musician, vlogger and internet personality based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is a member of Bradenton-based rock band We the Kings. Trippy recorded his first album with We the ...
. It was on this channel that Smith and Wellens introduced the character Chip Chocolate with the video "Fruit Assassin". ''BFvsGF'' has more than 9.3 million subscribers and 2.7 billion video views, as of February 2017. On May 18, 2016, Wellens and Smith announced on ''BFvsGF'' they have decided to place their relationship on "hiatus" and they would be taking a break from
vlogging A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...
for the foreseeable future. They cited relationship problems and stress from daily vlogging as factors for this break. Wellens announced he would be moving to New York, with Smith remaining in Philadelphia. On March 5, 2019, Smith announced that she will be launching an online talk show on ''BFvsGF'', titled ''Jenuine Talk'', where she will discuss various real-life topics with guest stars, having shot two episodes over the winter.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

{{authority control American YouTubers Prank YouTubers Shorty Award winners Streamy Award-winning channels, series or shows YouTube channels launched in 2007 YouTube vloggers